GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon R9 M385X

Place in the ranking	622	24
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	14.74
Power efficiency	no data	13.66
Architecture	GCN 2.0 (2013−2017)	Ampere (2020−2024)
GPU code name	Strato	GA102
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	5 May 2015 (9 years ago)	1 September 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$1,499

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	896	10496
Core clock speed	1000 MHz	1395 MHz
Boost clock speed	1100 MHz	1695 MHz
Number of transistors	2,080 million	28,300 million
Manufacturing process technology	28 nm	8 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	no data	350 Watt
Texture fill rate	61.60	556.0
Floating-point processing power	1.971 TFLOPS	35.58 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	112
TMUs	56	328
Tensor Cores	no data	328
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	82

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop size	large	no data
Bus support	PCIe 3.0	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	no data	336 mm
Width	no data	3-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	1x 12-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	24 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	384 Bit
Memory clock speed	1500 MHz	1219 MHz
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s	936.2 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	No outputs	1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Eyefinity	+	-
HDMI	-	+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

FreeSync	+	-
HD3D	+	-
PowerTune	+	-
DualGraphics	+	-
ZeroCore	+	-
Switchable graphics	+	-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	DirectX® 12	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.3	6.5
OpenGL	4.4	4.6
OpenCL	Not Listed	2.0
Vulkan	-	1.2
Mantle	+	-
CUDA	-	8.5

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

R9 M385X 5.18

RTX 3090 69.47
+1241%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

R9 M385X 1993

RTX 3090 26706
+1240%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

R9 M385X 5515

RTX 3090 61518
+1016%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

R9 M385X 12453

RTX 3090 124350
+899%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

R9 M385X 3405

RTX 3090 47241
+1288%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

R9 M385X 22544

RTX 3090 231612
+927%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	27 −630%	197 +630%
1440p	9−10 −1322%	128 +1322%
4K	6−7 −1350%	87 +1350%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	7.61
1440p	no data	11.71
4K	no data	17.23

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −1592%	220 +1592%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−11 −1970%	207 +1970%
Elden Ring	12−14 −1731%	238 +1731%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	16−18 −538%	102 +538%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −1346%	188 +1346%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−11 −1410%	151 +1410%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 −2195%	505 +2195%
Metro Exodus	12−14 −1308%	169 +1308%
Red Dead Redemption 2	16−18 −713%	130 +713%
Valorant	12−14 −2923%	393 +2923%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	16−18 −631%	110−120 +631%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −1138%	161 +1138%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−11 −1250%	135 +1250%
Dota 2	16−18 −994%	186 +994%
Elden Ring	12−14 −2185%	297 +2185%
Far Cry 5	24−27 −488%	147 +488%
Fortnite	30−33 −810%	270−280 +810%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 −1727%	402 +1727%
Grand Theft Auto V	16−18 −906%	171 +906%
Metro Exodus	12−14 −1150%	150 +1150%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	40−45 −389%	210−220 +389%
Red Dead Redemption 2	16−18 −725%	132 +725%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	22 −691%	170−180 +691%
Valorant	12−14 −1608%	222 +1608%
World of Tanks	80−85 −232%	270−280 +232%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	16−18 −494%	95 +494%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −1023%	146 +1023%
Cyberpunk 2077	10−11 −1110%	121 +1110%
Dota 2	16−18 −1153%	213 +1153%
Far Cry 5	24−27 −424%	130−140 +424%
Forza Horizon 4	21−24 −1495%	351 +1495%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	40−45 −389%	210−220 +389%
Valorant	12−14 −2177%	296 +2177%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	4−5 −3650%	150 +3650%
Elden Ring	6−7 −3050%	189 +3050%
Grand Theft Auto V	5−6 −2900%	150 +2900%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	30−35 −415%	170−180 +415%
Red Dead Redemption 2	4−5 −2200%	92 +2200%
World of Tanks	35−40 −1216%	450−500 +1216%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	8−9 −1038%	91 +1038%
Counter-Strike 2	9−10 −967%	96 +967%
Cyberpunk 2077	4−5 −2075%	87 +2075%
Far Cry 5	10−12 −1355%	160−170 +1355%
Forza Horizon 4	8−9 −3225%	266 +3225%
Metro Exodus	4−5 −3375%	139 +3375%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	6−7 −2433%	152 +2433%
Valorant	14−16 −2007%	295 +2007%

4K
High Preset

Dota 2	16−18 −971%	182 +971%
Elden Ring	3−4 −3400%	105 +3400%
Grand Theft Auto V	16−18 −1038%	182 +1038%
Metro Exodus	1−2 −7500%	76 +7500%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	14−16 −1293%	200−210 +1293%
Red Dead Redemption 2	3−4 −2033%	64 +2033%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	16−18 −1038%	182 +1038%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	4−5 −2175%	91 +2175%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 −2150%	45 +2150%
Dota 2	16−18 −1088%	202 +1088%
Far Cry 5	6−7 −1650%	100−110 +1650%
Fortnite	4−5 −2300%	95−100 +2300%
Forza Horizon 4	4−5 −3875%	159 +3875%
Valorant	5−6 −3660%	188 +3660%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2

+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Counter-Strike 2

85−90

+0%

85−90

+0%

This is how R9 M385X and RTX 3090 compete in popular games:

RTX 3090 is 630% faster in 1080p
RTX 3090 is 1322% faster in 1440p
RTX 3090 is 1350% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Metro Exodus, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the RTX 3090 is 7500% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RTX 3090 is ahead in 61 test (97%)
there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	5.18	69.47
Recency	5 May 2015	1 September 2020
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	24 GB
Chip lithography	28 nm	8 nm

RTX 3090 has a 1241.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, a 500% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 250% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 3090 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 M385X in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon R9 M385X is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 3090 is a desktop one.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.